Zombies will invade Gastonia on Oct. 12, but there’s no need to lock your doors or hide your children. The Downtown Gastonia Zombie Walk and Food Drive is a family friendly event.

“There is a zombie craze going on. Plus, there are a lot of towns around here that have zombie walks,” organizer Sue Ann Robb said. “It’s just something different to bring to Gastonia.”

The event, from 2 to 9 p.m., has expanded since last year and will be like a street festival, Robb said. It will feature food, arts and crafts vendors, community organization tents, and live music from local bands.

And the main attraction is the scavenger hunt, with gift certificates up for grabs for the winners. Participants should bring two nonperishable food items to the makeup tent to sign up for the hunt, and they can get a zombie makeover, courtesy of Haunted Mill, while they’re there.

“It’s going to be a big deal. It’s going to be a whole lot of fun,” Robb said.

The Zombie Walk is a food drive at its core, she said. Items will be donated to With Friends, BREAD Ministries and As One Ministries. The October collection comes just in time to gear up for the holidays.

Robb said about 300 people attended last year’s Zombie Walk, and she’s expecting an even bigger crowd this year – perhaps 1,000. She hopes the event will draw people downtown who don’t normally come to the area and show them what it can offer.

“I really want to bring attention to downtown Gastonia,” she said. “I wanted to bring a younger demographic downtown. We’re trying to go more for an art district feeling.”

You can reach lifestyles reporter Andrea Honaker at ahonaker@gastongazette.com or 704-869-1840. Follow her on Twitter at twitter.com/andi384 and read her blog at lifelessons.blogs.gastongazette.com.